UFC officials Thursday announced the bookings, which will
precede a heavyweight title rubber match between Cain
Velasquez and Junior dos
Santos in the evening’s main event. UFC 166 takes place at the
Toyota Center in Houston and marks the Las Vegas-based promotion’s
first trip to the Lone Star State since October 2011.

Lombard, 35, signed with the UFC last year as Bellator’s reigning
middleweight champion but struggled in his Octagon debut, dropping
a split decision to Tim Boetsch
at UFC 149. Though “Lightning” responded with a knockout of
Rousimar
Palhares, the expat Cuban was outpointed by Yushin Okami
this past March, prompting his move to 170 pounds.

Another former middleweight, Marquardt was released from his UFC
contract in 2011 after producing elevated testosterone levels in a
pre-fight drug test. “The Great” signed with Strikeforce the
following year and captured the organization’s vacant welterweight
title by knocking out Tyron
Woodley. The 34-year-old relinquished the belt to Tarec
Saffiedine in his next performance, however, and was
subsequently knocked out by Jake
Ellenberger in his Octagon return this past March.

A two-time Strikeforce lightweight champion, Melendez challenged
Benson
Henderson for the UFC title on April 20, coming up short in a
split verdict at UFC on Fox 7. Prior to that setback, “El Nino” had
posted seven straight victories, topping the likes of Josh
Thomson, Tatsuya
Kawajiri and Shinya Aoki
during that stretch.

Sanchez, meanwhile, has won three of his last four fights.
Following a failed lightweight title bid in 2009, “The Dream”
returned to the welterweight division, falling to British prospect
John
Hathaway before posting decision wins over Paulo
Thiago and Martin
Kampmann. A loss to Ellenberger would follow, however, and
Sanchez attempted another drop to lightweight this past March.
Though the Jackson’s MMA product earned a contentious split
decision win over Takanori
Gomi at UFC on Fuel TV 8, Sanchez missed his mark the day
prior, coming in at 158 pounds at the weigh-in.